SPOKANE, Wash. — In October 2021, several Spokane firefighters who refused to get vaccinated were pulled from local fire stations. Some retired, others left altogether and a handful were re-assigned to non-medical positions.
The mandate left several unfilled positions in the department. In order to cover them, they city had to pay out overtime, an estimated $3.7 million this year alone.
Yesterday, several of those reassigned firefighters returned to the front lines, as the state's mandate requiring healthcare employees, firefighters, paramedics and state employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 ended on Oct. 31.
Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer says that will help reduce overtime costs, and so will hiring even more firefighters. 17 came on board this June and another 21 will join the Spokane Fire Department once they graduate from the fire academy this December.
When asked about non-vaccinated firefighters returning, Schaeffer told KREM 2 in part:
"Each of these firefighters has remained in good standing throughout the mandate, and the community is fortunate to have them back serving people in need. We are excited to have these members back and on the apparatus!"
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